Corporate
Alliances
39
(Contiuned from Previous Page)
Following the company’s acquisition of Red Bee Media this past May of 2014, the powers that be at Ericsson have judged the Helsinki/MTV3 deal as the next logical step in their progression toward the laudable goal of a world united by clear communication.
"This agreement and the media hub in Helsinki will strengthen Ericsson's broadcast and media services business,” claims Joachim Bergman, Head of Playout and Media Management at Ericsson Broadcast and Media Services, on this strategic alliance, “which began in 2007 with the signing of our first broadcast services deal with C More (formerly Canal+) in the Nordic region and is expanding rapidly."
As stated previously, MTV3 is a member of the Bonnier Group, with a sizeable stake in the print medium (books, magazines and newspapers) as well as a number of theatres and TV channels. The Bonnier Group has a presence in twenty countries, including the US. Just a few of its US properties include many familiar titles: Field & Stream, Outdoor Life and Popular Science. MTV3 was the first to bring soap operas to Finland in the 1990’s, starting with “The Bold and the Beautiful.” By 1999, An original daily Finnish soap opera called “Salatut elämät” (Secret Lives) also aired on MTV3. The story focuses on the drama-filled lives of the residents of Pihlajakatu Street (a fictional avenue) in Helsinki.
"We have selected Ericsson as a strategic partner,” states Heikki Rotko, CEO of MTV3, regarding the 5-year agreement between his company and Ericsson, “because the company is a strong international player that has invested heavily in the TV industry. Our decision is also based on the success of a similar collaboration between TV4 - another Bonnier Group subsidiary - and Ericsson in Sweden for the past five years."
Bringing the resources of both these groups to bear on the creation of a new media hub in Helsinki is assumed to be a major enhancement of Finland’s media scene. Currently, Helsinki has a good presence in newspapers, magazines, and radio. Broadcast TV could use a boost, however. Since its introduction to Finland in 1957, television has been rapidly catching up to the US. The official languages in Helsinki are Finnish and Swedish, The most common foreign languages here are (in order of popularity) English, German, and French. Foreign shows are typically aired with their soundtracks intact and have subtitles. Ericsson and The Bonnier Groups’ previous collaboration in Sweden in 2009 has generated very high confidence in the success of this current joint venture in Finland.
MTV3 was in attendance this year at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia, thousands of kilometers away from their Finnish home. They were in the mountain cluster units at the Rosa Khutor Alpine Center, where the Olympic Alpine skinning events were held. The Ericsson Corporation will be making its presence known at IBC 2014 this year. Ericsson will be announcing its plans for 2020 along with highlighting 6 major new trends they see appearing that may radically alter the broadcast arts. They will also be discussing their acquisition of Azuki, Mediaroom, and Red Bee Media and how this ties in with their evolving vision for the future.
Broadcast Beat Magazine / Sep-Dec, 2014